Lyme disease..
Anyone here have or had Lyme?
I am 99.99% sure that I have it, 100% sure that I got it as a child. I say 99.99% sure that I have it because when I was around 10 and got bit by a deer tick and got the bullseye rash. According to my dad, he took me to a doctor and they gave me 1 antibiotic pill there and 1 to take the day after. Being that we know more about Lyme today than we did 20 some years ago, that was not enough antibiotics to treat Lyme. Most "Lyme literate" doctors recommend at least 30 days, if not 90 days of antibiotics.
Pisser of it is though, a blood test will likely not show that I have Lyme. A person who is confirmed to have Lyme could have 10 blood tests done and only half of them will show the disease. I'm an evidence based kind of person, so until I can get it proven, I am staying with 99.99%.
What are your stories with it?
It was only about 4-5 years ago that it was remembered that I got Lyme, but looking back, there's a lot of things that make more sense when I consider Lyme. Growing up, I always had some random illness. I supposedly have had mono 3 times now. A couple of times I'd be visiting doctors over and over and they'd just end up saying I have an unknown viral infection. My spine is almost always sore and tender to the touch. There was a phase when I was young where I am thinking my brain swelled. I had to wear v-neck shirts, extra large shirts (I usually wear medium), or cut a slit in the neck hole of my shirts in order for my big head to fit through. The only hats that would fit my head were adjustable hats that were maxed out, lol, earned me the nickname of 'big head'. The mental aspects like my emotional detachment, chronic fatigue, and anxiety could very well be a symptom. At this point though, I feel like I am pretty much fucked. If the treatment as a child didn't work, that just means that it has had over 20 years to establish a foothold in my body. I would like to have it be proven though so that way we could hopefully learn something from it. The doctors I've talked to who believe I have Lyme are amazed that I've dealt with it for over 20 years, but I think my emotional detachment is what makes that easy. I don't really have the emotional reaction to pain, which gives me a high pain threshold. Makes me wonder if there is something different going on with me that makes it easier to deal with/have Lyme that could help others. I wouldn't mind being a guinea pig either.
Anyway, what are your experiences with it?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I got it twice, four years apart. The first time was hell...I did not get the bullseye rash, but my husband did. We both thought we had a really bad flu but the kicker was the stiff neck and all over body aches. We were both treated within 72 hours after getting sick. We were treated with amoxicillin for 10 days.. I felt better with in 4 hours after the first pill.
I had no lingering side effects that I am aware of..of course, once you have Lyme, you will always test positive for it because the antibodies are in your system. I got bit again 4 year later and immediately got the rash. That time, I was given cipro for 21 days. I did not get ill the second time like the first time. I barely felt anything at all.
I have not even been sick with any kind of illness since 2004...I have a touch of arthritis in my knees but it is age related. I don't know why some people are affected and some are not...
thinktwice
Level 8
June 9, 2019
0
That's tough. I have had dozens of tick bites over the years but only once had the tell tale rash, Lyme disease is not so common here but with the milder winters ticks are much more common. I asked my GP for a course of antibiotics and his exact words were "We don't usually give them at this stage" in other words we wait until the disease is established and then have much more difficulty eradicating it. I insisted and he relented and I had no symptoms at all.
I have known several people with the full blown disease including a friend who is now in her eighties with a myriad of health problems which may or may not connected to it.
I would think the sooner you get treatment the better Good luck.
Moravian
Level 8
June 9, 2019
1
I live less than 20 miles from Lyme Ct, and have had both myself, my ex, & most of my dogs get Lyme, several times each. Once you have had it, you will Always test positive, so most docs will prescribe 10 days of doxycycline if you exhibit symptoms. There are a lot of quacks out there telling you you must have intravenous antibiotics for a month or more...beware! That much antibiotics will kill every good bacteria in you, which you need, and lead to other problems. On the other hand, if you have had untreated Lyme for a long time, you may need to go that route.
The blood test for humans still takes 10 days, although all the vets in this area have a and-held machine can can test for All diseases (at least 4 more!) spread by the various types of ticks instantly (WTH?! Where is the machine for humans?!)
AnneWimsey
Level 9
June 9, 2019
2
Yeah, always thought it was weird that they seem to be more advanced with it with dogs. Pretty sure they even have a Lyme vaccine for dogs.
My understanding on why they recommend 30 days is because the Lyme bacteria's "tail" is actually inside its body. Most bacteria just attach themselves to the outside of the cell with it, but the Lyme bacteria will pull its body into a cell. Supposedly it takes 30 days for it to come out if it doesn't kill the cell. There is a lot of quackery with Lyme though, but it does seem legit that its mechanism to attach is inside its body and therefore enters the cell and that's why it can be difficult to treat.
There's also a lot of debate with the CDC. They don't recognize it as a chronic/recurring disease yet. Most doctors go by CDC guidelines, but it always takes years of research to change the guidelines.. which is reasonable.
@FatherOfNyx there is a Lyme vaccine for dogs, but it is pretty ineffective...hubby & I were enrolled in the human trials for a similar vaccine, the trial was ended prematurely because of ineffectiveness..that was about 20 years ago
I didn't have it but a few years ago I had a student with Lyme disease. She struggled physically and at times was so sick she was out of school for long periods of time. She'd come back with an antibiotic pump trying to keep the disease at bay. She graduated high school with her class. She often had emotional needs attributed to the disease as well. It's was a terrible disease. She had a supportive family and good insurance, her mom was a teacher at the same school. She's thriving as an adult.
Pamscwf1
Level 7
June 9, 2019
2
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